Body exercising bench



Oct. 31, 1961 E. F. RYAN 3,006,643

BODY EXERCISING BENCH Filed April 14, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR EDGAR F.' RYAN ATTORNEYS Oct- 3 1 61 E. F. RYAN 3,006,643

BODY EXERCISING BENCH Filed April 14, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3

Ila J 20b 1,. 1 R 20b 24 vi] 25 24 INVENTOR EDGAR F. RYAN United States Patent 3,006,643 BODY EXERCISING BENCH Edgar F. Ryan, Beachwood, Ohio (653 Broadway, Bedford, Ohio) Filed Apr. 14, 1959, Ser. No. 806,380 2 Claims. (Cl. 272-58) The present invention is concerned with a support for the living human body; and more particularly with what may be termed an exercising device in the broad sense since first it stimulates a person reclining thereon to change in his bodily disposition from time to time, or secondly, in any particular disposition of the body, consequent upon the setting of the device, the body is subjected to certain naturally occurring forces which are effective to cause some reaction in the musculature of the body.

Essentially, the present invention provides an underlying support for the body and means whereby the shape of said support may be varied from an extreme arched condition or convexity in a vertical plane to a generally horizontal form; and conceivably even through the horizontal to a concave form. The broad object of the invention is to provide means effective in stimulating circulation and active muscular movement without causing over-exertion. The specific embodiment of the invention here disclosed includes a base or frame for the body support and the means for varying the shape thereof, resulting in a unit which may be termed a bench or table; and the elements of the disclosed frame, in addition to their structural functions as components of the frame, furnish props on which the user may at times support his legs say in elevated positions, or which may be grasped to hold in changing position.

Considering a typical use, the device provides in the first instance a generally horizontally disposed body supporting surface, which at a central region may, if de sired, have a slight localized elevation. As in the case of any surface generally unyielding to the human body, due to resulting discomfort no one bodily position can be maintained for a long period of time, so that such a supporting surface even in a planiform disposition stimulates the body reclining thereon to a change of posture or position, which is advantageous by the very fact that there is caused, even in an inactive average condition, a succession of relatively changed body conditions. In a sense then, the inactive resting body is urged or stimulated to successive changes, to exercise in a broad sense even while at rest. The use of a relatively narrow support board or member, on the order of about fourteen inches to be somewhat less than the shoulder span of the average user, also requires further physical exertion in changing to a new position of comfort.

Further, as the device may be changed from time to time to provide an increasingly arched form in the body supporting surface, the body of the user is from day-today, or over other periods, subjected to a selectably changed support. This then, in addition to the above described stimulative effects arising even with a generally horizontal arrangement of the device, imparts a further stimulative effect upon the body, which may be brought into play with particular advantage after the body has been conditioned to use of the device in the generally horizontal position. With the device set to, say a convexly arched form of certain degree, the body reclining or hanging over the arch is subjected to tractive forces. Such forces may be gradually increased over a period of weeks by increasing the arch of the device from time to time with the known attendant advantages to the body so exercised, among which may be noted the beneficial result of strengthening the seldomly used abdominal, waist and low back muscles. Not only is muscular activity stimulated by the induced change in positions and bodily activity, but there also results an obviously advantageous stimulation of circulation, by virtue of bodily positioning as such achieved at difierent settings of the support and by the induced muscular activity.

A specific form of the invention, adapted for attainment of the aforegoing objects and advantages is disclosed in the following description, and in the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the inventron;

FIG. 2. is a side elevation;

FIG. 3 is a plan view;

FIG. 4 is a right end view of FIG. 1 or 2; and

FIG. 5 is a detail view of a support clamp.

The invention comprises, in broad aspect, a human body support variable in shape from an efiectively horizontal generally planiform disposition to a convexly or even conceivably concavely arched disposition. The particular embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, as an overall assembly or general combination, includes as five main sub-assemblies two parallel like right triangular side frame members 11, 12, the central elongated generally U-shaped frame member 13 sandwiched therebetween, the upper generally rectangular overhead trapeze and spacing member 14, and the body supporting board assembly 15.

The lateral spans or dimensions of the members 13 and 14 are substantially equal so that the parallel vertical legs or reaches 11a, 12a of the triangular frame members, located at substantially the center of the overall assembly, are in effect equally parallelly spaced. The several subassemblies 11, 12, 13 and 14 are then secured together in rigid relation, as preferably by bolting the members 13, 14 between the triangular frames at 13c, 14c or by welding all together.

The triangular sub-assemblies then as shown have bottom legs extending from the center of the combination toward one end; and the U-shaped member or sub-assembly 13 is, at the other end of the combination, bent downwardly to provide a leg-like support at each side of such end. The sub-assembly 13 includes transverse members 13a, here shown at generally equal distances from the center uprights 11a, 12a and from the ends of the entire assembly, serving in effect as rigid spacers for the generally horizontal, spaced parallel reaches 13b.

The triangular members 11, 12, the top spacer or overhead trapeze member 14 and the U-shaped frame 13 are here shown as formed of bent cylindrical tubular stock, by usual and well known techniques, into drawingdisclosed closed shapes, the closed or joined ends of each element being rigidly joined as by butt welding or connection through an inserted sleeve secured therebetween, or other apt methods. The assembly 13, comprised of one tubular element providing the said horizontal side reaches 13b bent downwardly at that end opposite members 11, 12 intoin effect-vertical legs 13d joined at the bottom through an integral transverse yoke 13a, and the cross elements 13a between the side reaches hence provide free space for changeable disposition of, and support for, the assembly 15 as hereinafter described.

The body supporting sub-assembly 15 includes a central portion 20 vertically, translatably or slidably mounted on and between the vertical slide members or guide members provided by the vertical parallel legs 11a, 12a of the triangular members, the member 20 being here shown as being translatable from one position to others which are all mutually parallel. At opposite endward sides of the central portion 20 there are hinged on parallel pivoting axes, the oppositely extending board members 21, 22 for which under support is furnished by the respective cross elements 13a. Means are provided, a specific form of which is hereinafter detailed, for securing the element or member 20', on the vertical reaches 11a, 12a at selected vertical position, whereby the overall assembly 15 may assume various dispositions or configurations, varying from a generally horizontal disposition of the entire sub-assembly (as shown in dashed outline in .FIG. 2) to what may be termed arched dispositions or forms (one such of which is indicated in solidlines in FIG. 2).

The members 2-1, 22 are considered'here as substantially each rigid, since entire support is provided by the hinged attachrnent at 20 and the under support at the cross elements 13a.. However, for a broad purpose of providing the movability from a horizontal disposition to a convex or concave arched shape, other body support means may be provided within the frame, for example,'a single continuous flexible element such as a thick rubber or elastomeric slab could be used, supported at several locations vertically variable on opposite sides'of a central location and adapted for positioning at a maximum vertical height relative to other regions of support; In the embodiment here shown, the central part 20 is a generally rectangular casting with the longer dimension extending transversely of the apparatus, preferably cov-' ered or padded in the raised curved form on its top side 2.0a, with laterally extended vertically slotted portions 201) embracing the respective vertical frame legs 11a, 12a, as sliding guide supports ofZfi; and clamping means on each vertical reach such. as a curvedfixed frictional shoe 23'secur'ed in each slot of 2.9, with another opposed curved frictional shoe 23a carried on a base. advanced by a screw 24 threaded through a reaction piece 2'5'carried by and closing the corresponding slot of member 20. Thefriction shoes may aptly be curved nylon members for embracing the metallic tubular uprights.

The various frame elements located above the frame member 13, such as the uprights or hypotenuses of the triangular members 11, 12 or the several sides of 14 provide several props or braces available to the grasp of the user on which he may pull or support himself in shifting from one bodily position to the other, or on which he may rest his legs to support them in an elevated or other position. 1'4 may'be used for over-head support when the :user chooses some bodily position other than reclining, asv in a mild stretching exercise.

Although the invention 'may, of course, be embodied in van'ous'particular forms wherein other types of base or framework structures, other means of changing the form :and of maintaining the selected form of theibody support sub-assembly such as mechanical or. hydraulic jack means, rack and pinion means orsuspending cable and pulley means, or wherein not only the shape of the body support may be selectably'changed but also the rotational position relative to a horizontal transverse axis; thedisclosed embodiment is preferred for its relative sturdinessand simplicity, along-with'adaptability to low cost production.

I claim: r l. A living human-body-supporting bench device comprising: a pair of horizontally spaced parallel like closed right triangular tubular frame members with longer vertical legs disposed centrally of said device, a trapeze member horizontally disposed between like upper apical regions of the said frame members, -a generally U-shaped spaced relation to horizontal shorter legs of said right triangular frame members, the yoke end portion of said U-shaped member being bent downwardly into vertical disposition at the end :of the device opposite said greater dimension transverse of the device than in a direction longitudinal to the device, the last said means also including oppositely extending portions narrower than the normal adult human body and supported by respective transverse frame elements at regions spaced from said vertical legs, said parallel legs being spaced outwardly from respective sides of said oppositely extending portions the last said means providing a support substantially unyielding to the body.

2. A bench for the living human body adapted to adjustable positioning whereby the said body is stimulated when reclining thereon to a change of corporeal situs or disposition, comprising: means providing underlying substantially unyielding support for said body reclining there on, said means including a pair of oppositely disposed and extending individually planiform members narrower 7 than the average adult human body and an intermediate Also the so-called trapeze member member, said intermediate member having a dimension in direction longitudinal of the body supporting means substantially smaller thanthe width of the planiform members, each of said planiform members having one end pivotally secured at a respective one of parallel edges of said intermediate member, means for supporting the said members in selected mutual relation varying from a condition of extreme upward position of the intermediate member above the planiform members, to a generally coplanar condition, to a condition of extreme downward position of the intermediate member below the planiform members, the last said means including frame means 7 providing an underlying bearing support at a region spaced outwardly toward the other and free end of each said planiform member, said frame means including a pair of parallel uprights disposed on respective sides of the body supporting means slidably engaging respective opposite sides of said intermediate member whereby the intermediate member may. betvaried in vertical position, and means for securing the intermediate member on said uprights at selected positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,539,214 Shockey May 26, 1 925 1,641,188 Mittag Sept. 6, 1927 2,240,228 Schall Apr. 29', 1941 2,429,939 Masterson et al. Oct. 28, 1947 7 2,584,742 Schilling Feb. 5, 1952 2,724,428 Sellner Nov. 22, 1955 I 2,892,455 Hutton June 30, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 220,341 Switzerland July 1, 1942 Canada June 29, 1954 

